Did France really need Benzema?

One man missing from the Qatar World Cup is recent Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.

The Real Madrid striker was already carrying a hamstring strain, but he tore a muscle in his left thigh during training for Qatar and has now been ruled out for an undefined period of time.

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The French manager Didier Deschamps has expressed sympathy for the player but has decided not to replace him in his squad, saying that he had full confidence in his players and that they would try and win the World Cup without him, something that they managed in 2018.

Benzema had been the top scorer in the 2014 tournament for France but was left out four years later as part of his punishment for his involvement in an off-the-field scandal. In Russia, he wasn’t missed much because Kylian Mbappé’s rise as a world-class player helped them win another final and ultimate victory.

Mbappé is back, and four years later, he’s more mature and complete. However, injuries have already deprived Deschamps of some of his key men from four years ago, with Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté both missing from the heart of their midfield.

Their striking options were also reduced, with Christopher Nkunku also ruled out with an injury he picked up in a pre-tournament training session.  They still have Olivier Giroud, who is within two goals of equalling Thierry Henry’s all-time scoring record in a French shirt but he is now 36, and may no longer have 90 minutes in his legs.

And there is also Antoine Griezmann, although he no longer seems the player that he was four years ago.

The reality is that since Benzema has been recalled to the French squad, he has become a key player for them, scoring ten goals in 14 appearances, and helping them win the Nations League last year.

One of his key attributes for Deschamps is that he enables Mbappé to play in his preferred role which is off the main striker, leaving him free to sit on the shoulder of the last man, and attack the spaces behind.

Benzema can not only hold the ball up but also get on the end of chances himself, and, whilst Giroud can partially fulfil this role as well, he never had the same mobility. And the Real Madrid striker is also capable of dropping further back and adopting a playmaker role, meaning that his versatility will be missed as much as anything.

Without him there, Mbappé may be asked to play a more central role, something that he has already made clear that he does not like doing for his club side, PSG.

The reality is that, although France starts among the favourites to defend their title, they are not as strong a squad as they were four years ago, even with Benzema in it. And, without him, they have been weakened further.

France did need the forward, not just because of his skill sets, but because of his ability to make those around him play better.